The association between plant-based diet and erectile dysfunction in Chinese men

Diet, one of the components of lifestyle, has been believed to have associations with erectile dysfunction (ED). However, whether there is an association between plant-based diet and ED is remains to be explored. Thus, we conducted the nested case-control study to investigate the relationship between the plant-based diet and ED in China.

ED group (92 subjeczts) and ED free group (92 subjects) were similar in terms of basic features (P > 0.05), except for lifestyle (P < 0.05). The plant-diet index (PDI) and healthy plant-diet index (hPDI) in the ED group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.001). Adjusted multivariate analysis indicated that the presence of ED was negatively associated with nitric oxide levels, PDI, and hPDI (all P < 0.05), and was positively related to body mass index, metabolic syndrome, and E-selectin levels. Furthermore, both the PDI and hPDI increased significantly as the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) scores increased within the ED group (P < 0.05). Multi-model multivariate analysis indicated the robustness of results.

More plant-based diet intake was associated with a reduced presence of ED and less severe ED in China. Committing to plant-based diet can be encouraged for many health benefits and to lower ED burden. Further well-designed studies are warranted to validate our findings.